'aortoptosis' originates from New Latin/Greek, specifically the Greek words 'aortē' and 'ptōsis', where 'aortē' meant 'aorta' and 'ptōsis' meant 'falling' or 'a sinking/downward displacement'.

'aortoptosis' was formed by combining the Greek root 'aortē' (ἀορτή) and 'ptōsis' (πτῶσις) in New Latin medical nomenclature and was adopted into English medical vocabulary with the same compound form.

Initially it literally meant 'falling/downward displacement of the aorta'; that core meaning has been retained, though the term remains rare and specialized in modern medical usage.